Stranger Things Creators Explain How Season 2 Ending Sets Up Season 3

After fans waited for a year and a few months for Stranger Things, the nine-episode season debuted on the Netflix streaming service this weekend, with many fans already binge-watching the entire season. If you haven't seen Stranger Things Season 2 there will be huge SPOILERS below, especially in regard to the ending, with the Duffer Brothers revealing in a new interview that the Season 2 ending helps set the stage for Season 3 and beyond. This is your last change to avoid spoilers below, so read on at your own risk.

The Stranger Things Season 2 finale seemed to end on a positive note, with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) using her considerable powers to closer the link between Hawkins, Indiana and the Upside Down. Still, there is more trouble lurking just around the corner, which will be explored in Season 3. During a new interview with Screen Rant, the Duffer Brothers addressed how they didn't exactly end the season on a pleasant note.

"Yeah, we don't end it on a totally happy note, do we? [Laughs] There were discussions about that, but then we went, 'Nah, we have to hint at what's to come.' The hope we wanted people to get out of it is that this thing [is still out there]. They've shut the door on the Mind Flayer, but not only is it still there in the Upside Down, it's very much aware of the kids, and particularly Eleven. It had not encountered her and her powers until that final episode. Now, it knows that she's out there. We wanted to end on a little bit of an ominous note on that level."

The series creators also addressed the number of cliffhangers that were set up at the end of the first Stranger Things season, and how they didn't want to do that again with this new season. Here's what the Duffer brothers had to say in another statement from their interview on the new season of Stranger Things.

"Last year, we had a lot of little cliffhangers at the end of the season. We didn't want to do that again. We didn't want to box ourselves in for season three. We wanted to be able to start season three on a very clean slate. It felt totally unnecessary, when we had the Snow Ball. Once we had the Snow Ball, we didn't know [if we wanted to do] anything else as an ending."

Fans can also celebrate the retro nature of the show with Stranger Things VHS version of the first season. The creators have also recently teased that the show will likely not go longer than four or five seasons and that they have a specific ending in place.